FAILURE by DESIGN
by Iland Girl
Summary: "The truth is, I'm not much of a detective. I'd rather get my hands dirty. So much that I'm rollin' in it. In fact, I'd much rather be my suspect's best friend than their stalker. So no, L, I do not wish to engage in a case with you." She said as she crossed her arms. L went silent before the mechanical voice spoke to her. "What if I got you out of jail?" PreKira - Case- PostKira
1. One

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

* * *

One

_"Open"_

* * *

**November 28, 2003**

"Okay Ryuzaki, all cleaned up for you."

"Cleaned up for me? Or for you?" The scattered voice asked back over the cellphone. The woman snorted before hopping on her motorcycle.

"For... both of us?" She half asked. Ryuzaki was not amused.

"You could go with some better vehicle choices." He muttered while grabbing a sweet from his tray. The computer screen in front of him illuminated his dark, sunken eyes. A large D that was written in a broken design, much like you would carve into a tree, stared back at him.

The girl chuckled as she sped her bike away from the warehouses. There was no way she would give up her motorcycle; it was her baby!

"Whatever, the point is the drug bust is all cleaned up by yours truly. No more odds of somebody finding anything linking your client back to this." She said confidently as she adjusted her headset again.

"Excellent," he said before stuffing another mini cake in his mouth none too gracefully. Unfortunately he also knew she wouldn't stop talking to him until he said it. He'd tried before, but she just kept popping up. With a slight cough, he spoke in a hushed tone. "Thank you, Diva."

Diva gushed a little bit over the tone of his synthetic voice before giggling.

"Even other the synthetic I can hear the reluctance! Don't make me stop in there." Diva said with a dark chuckle. Ryuzaki nearly paled at the thought. The last time she had stopped by...

"I doubt we, or the rest of the world, would like to repeat Xian's incident again." Ryuzaki stated bluntly before taking a raw sugar cube and sitting it on his tongue. Diva laughed a little bit more.

"Aw c'mon! I thought you and I made a great team." She laughed. Ryuzaki paused for a moment. Despite the synthetic overlay that distorted her voice, he could hear the honesty in her words. A sort of warm feeling settled in his stomach that overrode the original feeling of wariness.

A team.

Yes, they really did make the best team...

"Perhaps." Was all he said. He'd entertain the thought... for now.

Diva saw her destination up ahead and was just about to say goodbye to Ryuzaki-

Then it happened.

Her eyes widened as the pain in her chest exploded. She convulsed so harshly that her bike went sideways and she was thrown roughly from it. Her mind didn't register the pain of the fall; all she felt was the piercing burn in her chest. A strangled cry broke from her lips as she clawed at her shirt. She'd never felt this before.

"Diva?"

Ryuzaki sat at his perch on the other side of the screen. At first he thought she ran into trouble. She usually did, but this...

He heard her cry in pain.

Diva looked around, searching for something, someone. She saw a pair of tall boots walking towards her. They stopped in front of her face. All she could do was roll onto her back and stare up into those eyes. Piercing eyes that made her shudder.

Diva had failed.

"Sorry boss." Was all Ryuzaki heard before the D disappeared.

Data Deleted

Ryuzaki stared at the screen; not moving for nearly ten minutes. Finally, in a shaky voice that even he didn't realize was, he called out.

"Diva?"

Diva's unseeing eyes stared up at the sky. Her clothes were torn back and bits of skin ripped up on her chest.

Heart attack would later be written as the cause of death.

Dianne Calister; age 23.

The third victim of Kira.

* * *

**Hey guys.**

**So this is kind of like me, yet kind of not. **

**Firstly, I would like to point out that I just read a really absolutely amazing fanfiction for Death Note. It was, by far, superb to any that I have ever read. **

**And then... the ending is exactly like all I have ever read. **

**I mean... ugh... I just get so sick of the same thing. For example: how L dies. I just... GAH! Do I want him to die? NO. But sometimes authors NEED him to T . T ...**

**However it is _always__ the same way_ and I am beyond pissed about that. There this magnificent read was... and then it ends just like every other story. It pissed me off most because it was so good I thought the ending would be more original too. **

**Apparently not. I'm pissed off with fan fiction, particularly DN. Which is why I am writing this a 4am after I spent most of the night finishing that story. **

**Alright, so this idea is not new. In fact it is incredibly old. It's the first idea I ever had when I first watched DN when I was about 10 years old. Anyway, I'm not going to go into too much detail right now about it, but basically this story should get pretty different if all goes well. I'm going out with a bang on this one! So review if you would like to read more, especially since I just killed a main character off in the first chapter.. tehehe!**

**I feel evil. **

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


	2. Two

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

* * *

Two

_"Disclosure"_

* * *

**July 29th, 2002**

_"To be honest L, the difference between you and I isn't intellectual." _

_L pondered this thought for a moment; entertaining the idea as he picked it apart. _

_"I suppose you could be right," he paused to eat a jelly bean. Potentially, she could be his equal. Between the two of them there wasn't much the world could hide. "Though I suppose that isn't what you're getting at." _

_It went quiet for a moment and L was certain she was nervous about the newest case. They didn't always collaborate, but sometimes it fit better to do so. Diva never fussed like the police about morality or justice. In that way she was just like him. _

_All she wanted was to win._

_"Would you like to stop this investigation?" He asked after a moment. They both knew the risks; both had committed anyway. Yet it was Diva's life out in the field that was on the line. L would be lying if he said there was not a hint of worry for the agent in him. He believed her more than capable, but still..._

_Diva gave a short laugh. _

_"That's not right and you know it." She said. L stared at the large D on the screen; for some odd reason he didn't want to anymore. Perhaps he could call her back, get another to go in. Yes, he wouldn't mind that. _

_"There's no use dying over something like this." He stated. Diva actually laughed then. Even as her scrambled voice reached his ears he knew she was nervous by the chitter under the tone. _

_"You think I'm risking my life with no use, don't you?" She asked in an amused tone. L felt slightly miffed. Amusement? She was amused? His eyes narrowed further as he stared at the screen. _

_"Risking your life and having being robbed of your life are two different things." He stated bluntly. Yes he was right; there was no way this was simply risking her life. Yet Diva smiled. Not that L could see, but he figured it out when she spoke next. _

_"And that is the difference between you and I, L. When I die, it won't be behind a computer screen. I won't just be a letter." _

_The blue hue of her eyes darkened considerably. _

_"I refuse to be erased from the world, I refuse to be quiet about it."_

_A twisted smirk settled on her face. _

_L stared at the screen; his mind working a mile a minute to understand what she was saying. He heard her chuckle, and with the scrambler covering her voice, it sounded almost sinister. _

_"Oh no, I plan to go out with a bang."_

* * *

**November 28, 2003**

It was quiet for a few moments after he tried calling to her again. Then the D on his screen vanished completely. L stared for the longest time at the blank screen.

"Watari, do we have confirmation?"

He felt hollow speaking to his assistant. Without proper wording he had asked to see if she truly had...

"No confirmation. Her tracking system states she is in Canada right now." Watari said back. L's eyes practically drank in the screen before him. The little red dot in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. That was Diva. Then the green dot in London, England, UK. That was him. The yellow dot overlapping his was Watari.

The sheer distance between them...

He could do nothing for her without risking her life... if she was still...

"Watari, switch to Red's local stations. All of them." L said.

"Yes Ryuzaki." Watari confirmed before the once single large screen broke into multiple smaller ones. Each being about a different news channels available. L watched impatiently for something to happen.

"Out with a bang..." He whispered softly. What sort of bang did she mean? Could it have been she never set it up? No, of all things she was, Diva always counted out her steps. She had something up her sleeve... but what?

Then all the different stations unified into the same picture.

A woman with soft blonde hair and piercing greyish blue eyes stared back at the screen. A chuckle left her lips as she gave a small wave.

"Greetings world wide. This broadcast is being held all over the world at 8pm according to your time zone. Some of you may hear of me before you see this broadcast over the web. My name is Diva, and I would just like to say this."

L bit his thumb thoughtfully. What was this? It must've been a tape. There was no way... Was this the _bang_ she had described?

"I've come up with a challenge. One that no one will ever win."

It was then he realized her intentions.

"I am challenging everyone around the world to stop me. There will be seven great events happening around the world. Each event leads on to the next. Your job is to stop me before I reach the last goal."

A wicked grin spread across her lips.

"Your first clue is simple really. Actually, it's quite an ordinal say. Just remember, third time's the charm."

Her eyes were wide with excitement as she chuckled. L's mind was already whirling at her words.

"I'll be waiting."

The the cameras turned back to the regular broadcasts. Everyone on the screens looked horribly confused.

L sat silently as he stared at the screens. His mind working off like an engine as he tried to decipher the true meaning behind the broadcast. She had never been a good loser. Much like him, she took winning to heart. L's eyes narrowed as he watched a rerun of the broadcast.

This was his challenge.

It was so very obvious to him. A challenge that _no one_ would ever win. Not even the greatest detective alive. The worst part was he couldn't catch her. She was dead, after all.

Dead.

The word resonated inside of him. He closed his eyes and gathered himself before picturing her one last time. This puzzle was all that he had left of her. He would complete it and prove to her.

He was the one that would win.

L mulled over her clues for a little while longer before Watari interrupted his thoughts.

"Ryuzaki, there has been a large spike in heart attack victims in the past hour." Watari said. L stared wide eyed at the screen for a moment longer.

"I see. Is there anything similar about these deaths?" L asked.

"Yes, they are all convicted criminals." Watari explained.

L paused all movement before a tiny flicker of a thought came to his mind.

... Murder?

"Watari, please keep a note of all victims dying of sudden heart attacks in the next few days." L began as he bit down on his thumb again. The gears were whirling in his head as he pieced the puzzle together.

Was this one of the ideas Diva had for her big ending? Perhaps this was all a cover up and she was actually behind the scenes killing everyone. Perhaps this was her idea of a purge on the world and she finally found the means to do it.

He wouldn't put it past her. The woman who had strangled a mafioso with her bare hands. The woman who had exploded a school to take down a dangerous culprit. The woman who had held a gun to his very head to keep him in line.

No, he wouldn't be too surprised if Diva was still the one behind this whole scheme. If her death had been a lie. But why would she do this? Why take so many steps back from where she had been? Why would she act like she had?

Only one way to find out.

* * *

**Yo!**

**WOW! 4 reviews? Seriously? You guys rock! Thanks so much for them! I actually just published that first chapter on a whim. Mostly because I really just got pissed off. However an actual story has developed in my head. **

**No before I start, let me make this very clear. **

**I am in no way more intelligent than, or even equal to, any of the DN characters. So! That means some of my puzzles may not be all that original or smart or clever. However I am still hoping you will read this! Poor L is about to really get torn in half with everything flying at him!**

**Does anybody have a guess to the riddle? I made it decently easy, but I kind of suck at them. **

**I feel evil.**

**Anyway, this story is going to be... different... I mean it. Yes there will be a generic outline I follow, but I like to... add a lot of colour... mwahhahhahha!**

**Oh and before anyone asks; yes chapters will be getting longer. I like to have them short for a few chapters just to space things out and make it seem less rushed and more calm. **

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


	3. Three

**.**

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

_"For those who always fail..."_

* * *

Three

_"Taunt"_

* * *

**January 20th, 1993**

_"Tell me about yourself, Dianna."_

_The woman in question glared at the camera and microphone set up. She had been unsettled ever since they sat her down and tied her to the chair. A voice had suddenly began talking to her, but it was scrambled and she couldn't tell if it were a younger or older voice._

_To say the least, she was suspicious._

_"It's common courtesy to state your name before asking for other's." She snapped back._

_"I never asked for your name, I ask about who you are." The voice replied back without missing a beat. So they wanted to play, huh?_

_Fine then; she could play._

_"Depends on the day." She replied calmly._

_"What about today?" It asked again._

_"Well," Dianna began as she shifted in her chair. "I was feeling pretty good about smuggling an extra pudding form the cafeteria until these two guards came in and dragged me away. I hope you know I missed dessert because of you."_

_"I'm very sorry to hear that. Dessert is my favourite meal." The voice said in a flat tone. Dianna's eyes narrowed as she watched the camera._

_"Good, so now that we have that finished why don't you be a good boy and tell me why you're here talking to me." She said in a daring tone. There was a small pause before the voice spoke._

_"What makes you think I am male?"_

_Dianna fought back a smile._

_"Well, for starters, had I been wrong an intelligent person would've allowed me to make assumptions and follow along an incorrect path. You, on the other hand, did not. You, are male."_

_There was a long silence as both people allowed it all to sink in._

_"Not only that, from you love of sweets and that you consider dessert a meal I get the feeling you are under the age of thirty. No more like twenty five. My guess is you are younger but that I cannot assume. Also, you voice, though modified, jumps around a little, this indicates puberty. You are a twelve to sixteen year old male."_

_She didn't miss a beat as she continued on._

_"Not only that, but you also are talking to a criminal and have somehow set up this interview. You could not possibly be a person of low standing. To be able to achieve this you must have both money and a reputation with handling these sorts of situations. Although I don't know his age I know there's only one person you could be..."_

_Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the camera._

_"What do you want, L?"_

_There was a moment or silence before a slight chuckle came from the other end._

_He stared at the screen for a long time. She made a lot of radical and inaccurate guesses. Yet she wasn't far off from the truth. In fact she had gotten closer than he thought she would. _

_His interest in Dianna had been mostly due to he sporadic thinking. She had gotten in jail trusting the wrong people, but while out had given detectives like Coil a very hard time. _

_No rhyme or reason to her steps; no pattern to follow. Dianna was truly a force to be reckoned with. One he planned to use for his next case. _

_"You made a lot of assumptions. I could be anyone and any age." L pointed out. Fact of the matter is he couldn't tell her she was wrong. It would only make her realize she was right. _

_Finally Dianna let her lips quirk into a smug smile. Whether she was actually right or not she still knew she had made another odd impression. She didn't like using logic to make her guesses. Life was always boring that way. She figured L wanted to use her for something and wanted her to feel confident. That was why he allowed himself to speak instead of typing out his responses into a computer. It was also why he had taken such a childish response to her comments. L wanted her to figure it out, he (or so she believed) wanted her to get it right. _

_Probably saved him time explaining. _

_"Ah L, it's not wrong to make an assumption. It's only wrong to ignore the facts." She said smugly._

_"I see..." The voice drifted off, sounding like he was thinking. She was truly insane to think this way. Yet, in some twisted sense of logic, he could see where she was coming from. "How would you feel of working a case with me?"_

_Dianna raised both brows. Right to the point was he? She snorted. Dianna knew of L, the first class detective, who was slowly climbing in the ranks. Becoming more famous with each case he broke. However he was also getting a reputation because no one had ever seen hiss face or heard his true voice. He hid in the shadows while others did his dirty work._

_It was the main reason she didn't like him. Because he would hide while she risked her life and for what? What did she gain? A better morale? Like she cared; she was locked up in prison for the next fifteen years anyway._

_"The truth is, I'm not much of a detective. I'd rather get my hands dirty. So much that I'm rollin' in it. In fact, I'd much rather be my suspect's best friend than their stalker. So no, L, I do not wish to engage in a case with you." She said as she crossed her arms. L went silent before the mechanical voice spoke to her. Spoke words she nearly jumped for joy at hearing._

_"What if I got you out of jail?"_

_"... What?"_

* * *

**December 4th, 2003**

L paced around the room.

Normally he'd enjoy being stationary; perching quietly in his chair until it was time to move for a bathing ritual or toiletries.

However with the information he had just gathered he couldn't sit still.

No, he _wouldn't _sit still.

Watari had gathered that there had been a rapid increase of murders among inmates and convicted criminals alike. Not only that, but the pattern in which they were killed... L reached back to November 28th, before the time of Diva's death. He'd found another heart attack victim that had been a criminal.

Right in Japan.

It made him very curious to hear that. There was a strong possibility that the murderer lived, or at the very least was hiding, in Japan. 75%- no more like 88%. Then he searched the internet and found multiple sights supporting a person named 'Kira'. Derived from the English word 'killer'. It suited the bastard well.

L was practically reeling.

Diva...

His computer broke him from his thoughts as he looked to his blinking laptop. He already had plans to get to Japan within the next day. Now he was just waiting on Watari to connect with the ICPO. Which, by the blinking light, appeared that he had.

"L, we are live with the ICPO." Watari's voice came through. L would be lying if he said his grin wasn't the least bit malicious as he thought of his plan. It would take him one huge leap closer to the culprit. The mass murderer. _Diva's killer._

This Kira would pay.

* * *

**Skylar Reeves**

I yawned as I flipped the page of the old math text book. I hadn't seen one of these in years. They were so unhelpful. No wonder this kid couldn't get anywhere with her studies.

"Okay, were going to throw this crap in the trash." I said in English before tossing it to the far end of the table. The little girl looked at me with a raised brow before I grinned.

"Don't worry, I'll help you become a genius in this." I added on in Japanese. She smiled.

"Great! So I'm having problems with this worksheet. What do I need to do?" She asked. I looked over the sheet. Basic Algebra. Piece of cake.

"It's simple really this questions requires you to know A2 + B2 = C2..."

That was pretty much us for about an hour.

By the time we were done someone came to check on us.

"Sayu, Skylar, how is the math going?" Sachiko Yagami asked as she poked her head into the living room. I smiled politely while Sayu jumped up.

"Mom! Skylar's amazing! She taught me how to do all of these equations and how to remember them! I'm all done!"

Jeez she made me sound like a miracle worker... But honestly they were all just old tricks I had come up with when I was her age... Maybe hearing it from someone else other than the norms had made her understand.

I stretched.

Either way, we were done! Not bad for a first session.

"Thank you Skylar. It's getting quite late. Why don't you stay for dinner then?" Sachiko asked. I nodded and smiled before standing up to go to the dining area.

"Thank you, that would be wonderful. Did you need any help setting up?" I asked. Sachiko smiled at me before giving me directions.

After a little while the front door opened and shut quietly. I looked up to see a teenage boy walk through the door. He didn't look much younger than myself though.

"I'm home," he called. It was only after he had walked into the kitchen that he noticed I was there. "Oh, hello."

"Hello," I said politely. "My name is Skylar Reeves. I'm on an exchange program from Canada and wanted to pick up some extra cash, so I'm tutoring." I explained in a long winded explanation. He looked mildly surprised before looking at Sayu.

"What? You always say you're too busy! Plus she teaches me stuff the simple way instead of making it this giant problem!" Sayu defended. I scratched my head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry if I'm stepping on any toes." I said softly. The boy smiled at me though. Charming.

"No, it's not problem. I'm Light Yagami. Pleased to meet you," he said. I nodded to him before he turned to Sachiko. "Mom, I'll be down for dinner in a second. Just need to do a few things."

"Alright Light, dinner will be ready soon." She said before the boy disappeared upstairs. Sayu stepped beside me after I finished setting the table.

"Want to watch TV for a bit?" She asked. I smiled before nodding. Japanese TV always entertained me with how odd the gameshows were. I didn't voice this though and instead allowed Sayu to lead me back to the living room.

She turned on the TV...

"We interrupt with an urgent announcement from the ICPO."

Ah great, I couldn't have had a nice quiet laugh at the gameshows?

The camera switched to a male seated at a desk. He looked important, suave, very dignified up there. I instantly wondered who he was and looked to the nameplate in front of him.

Lind. L. Taylor.

I frowned.

Why did this guy have a nameplate? What did he have to say?

"Greetings from the ICPO to the whole world. I head up an investigative corporation. I am Lind. L. Taylor. Also known simply as L."

I raised a brow. The L? What did this guy have to prove by showing up in front of the whole world? Where was this guy going with this? I had heard of L multiple times, but never had I ever heard of him actually showing his face...

"Today I am here to address the most heinous cases of mass murder out there. This person goes by the name Kira."

Ah, so he was going to try and catch Kira. How are you going to handle this then, L?

"Kira, I've got a pretty good sense of why you're doing this, but make no mistake, what you're doing is evil." He paused for a moment before a smirk lifted the corners of his lips. I narrowed my eyes. Was he trying to be killed? What purpose could this broadcast have? The only method Kira killed was by heart attack.

Kira had killed criminals from all around the world. Most died within a day of each other. Someone moving around that much would probably be pretty obvious to law enforcement. Was L trying to figure out if Kira was an organization?

No, what purpose would having yourself up on screen prove? Even Kira wouldn't come in and kill you that way...

Unless...

My eyes widened as Lind. L. Taylor clutched his chest before dropping dead onto the desk in front of him. Sayu clutched my arm as we both stared at the screen. L was... dead? Kira actually killed L? But I didn't see him, no one probably had. Which meant...

The screen flickered to a Cloister Black font L. My brows raised as I heard a modified voice give a few short gasps.

"I just had to be sure to rule this out... I never thought it would actually work... Kira... It appears you can kill without actually being there."

A wide grin spread across my face. So that was the purpose of this whole experiment. In two minutes, L had just proven that Kira was real, that the deaths were murders, and that Kira could kill from a distance.

Impressive.

I watched with rapped fascination as L proceeded to taunt Kira to try and really kill him. I held my breath, but when nothing happened I realized why. Kira needed a name and a face to kill. That was why the name plate had been out, why the man hhad been set in front of the camera. L then explained that while it was announced as a world wide broadcast, they were only broadcasting in the Kanto Region of Japan.

Hook. Line. And sinker.

I bit my index finger as I leaned towards the TV screen.

This guy...

A grin spread across my face a L's final send off. When the TV went blank my mind reeled. I needed to know more. I wanted to hear more-

"Hey Skylar, are you alright?" Sayu asked. I turned to her and realized I had forgotten she was there. Then I grimaced as she mispronounced the _lar_ in my name again.

"Sorry, I just thought that L guy was pretty cool. Also, how about we call me Sky for now, okay?" That way I did sound like _Skyraul _which just threw me off a lot.

"Alright girls, enough of that TV, it's dinner time." Sachiko called. We both got up as she called for her son to come downstairs as well.

"Coming mom." Light called before appearing in the dining area. I sat down beside Sayu, who kept going on about L.

"That was so cool that he caught Kira in that trick! Now we know how he kills!" Sayu got all excited while I just chuckled.

"Eh, well actually that wasn't the true purpose behind that stunt." I said before thanking Sachiko for the meal. Sayu whined a little bit.

"Whaaat? But I thought the whole purpose was to see where Kira is!" Sayu said. I finished chewing my food before explaining to her.

"L said so himself, he didn't think this would work. He probably meant he thought Kira was an organization. That would explain why he was going to do multiple broadcasts. He probably expected an attempt on the inmate's life in between broadcasts. That would confirm it was a group."

I sighed.

"However, as we just witnessed, Kira doesn't have to be present at the crime. Which would explain his flexibility. Then we have the fact L placed a name plate in front of the inmate with his name's spelling. This means that Kira needs the spelling of a person's name and face. Which means L is safe so long as he stays hidden."

But why would he need the spelling? To write down?

"You're pretty on the ball with that," Light said as he passed around the vegetables. "I'm impressed. You really picked apart that broadcast."

I blushed a little.

"Thank you. Truthfully I've always wanted to be a detective. L's been a bit of a role model for me since I was young." I said.

"How come?" Sayu asked in between bites of food. Sachiko lightly scolded her for talking with food in her mouth.

"Well, when I was younger, my dad was murdered and nobody caught the culprit. That is until L picked up the case and solved it within days. It was then I started following hhis cases. The guy's known as the best for a reason." I said. Light sighed before cutting into his meal.

"That means... If Kira keeps slipping, L will catch him pretty soon." Light commented. I shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't think Kira needs to make a mistake. I think L will still catch him. But I am a bit biased since he's kind of my hero and all." I said before eating some more.

After dinner I thanked Sachiko for the meal. She tried to also pay me but I refused to take money from her after that. My walk home was quiet, my apartment wasn't too far from the Yagami household. In fact it was only a forty minute walk.

By the time I got back to my rented apartment I barely had the energy to plunk myself onto my bed. My thoughts broke out into the L vs Kira battle. My brain swirling around all of the questions bubbling in my head.

As I closed my eyes, I pictured what L's next move would be.

* * *

L stared at the parcel that had been hand delivered to his hotel suite. He'd never asked for anything from Watari, and he also had an alias at the front desk.

So why was there an envelope sent to L sitting on his bed?

No stamps or anything on the envelope to give away where it had come from. In fact it had been there since before his arrival. Perhaps the cleaning ladies? No, there shouldn't have been anyone who would know where he had been.

The only person who knew his habits was dead. Gone. Not coming back.

So he stared at the envelope. Watari had been there earlier to set everything up. He had even said he checked the envelope for traps. Not powders or tampering. Nothing, it was just there.

He felt ridiculous. A bloody envelope was making him unfold.

L walked over and picked it up as though it would explode if he touched it. Carefully he pulled it apart and opened the white holder.

Inside was a piece of paper, along with a painfully familiar necklace. The Oroborus pendant that used to hang around her neck was bathed in blood. His chest clenched and his own blood ran cold as he read the paper.

_The war has just begun.- D_

* * *

**Yo!**

**Okayyyy... SO no reviews... that's cool...**

**Ok I'll admit... I sad. T . T**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'll probably following the original storyline for another two or three chapters... then all hell will break loose! **

**Bwahahahah!**

**So yeah, review with your thoughts! I would love to hear your opinions! **

**Who do you think this D is? What do you think of Skylar?**

**I'm very curious, so let me know ASAP!**

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


	4. Four

**.**

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

_"For those who always fail..."_

* * *

Four

_"Riddle"_

* * *

**July 14th, 1993**

_"That was a bold move, Dianna. A little too bold."_

_Dianna shrugged it off as she flopped on her bed._

_"What was I to do? Allow him to escape? You said you needed that evidence and I got it. Watari took it and left just like you said."_

_"You almost killed him."_

_Dianna snorted._

_"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." She countered. L felt tempted to argue; to tell her that had she killed him the case would've been ruined. There was no use though, telling such a person something like that, instead he figured out another way to alleviate his anger._

_"135."_

_There was a half second of a pause before Dianna caught on._

_"531, 246."_

_"642, 531, 789."_

_"987, 135, 246."_

_L almost grunted in frustration that she had kept going so easily. She didn't leave him any breathing room though._

_"I am not a pool, a tree, a slave, a website, or a shirt. So what am I?"_

_He paused to think before countering._

_"A book. Alone I am 24th, with a friend I am 20. With another I am unclean."_

_She paused for a moment before smirking._

_"X. May 6, 1987 at 2:34 AM there was a peculiar event. What was this?"_

_He smirked as he placed down his cup of sugar filled tea. This was becoming quite a challenge._

_"Numbers one through nine are in that statement," he said before pausing to take a sip of his tea. Dianna sighed before looking to the time. It was early in the morning, 1 AM really. "Red, purple, blue, green, yellow."_

_Dianna frowned but then smirked._

_"Orange, red. You have ten apples and I ate two while you sell six and eat one yourself. How many do you have?"_

_L opened his mouth to speak the painfully obvious answer, but then he paused. Clever, but not quite._

_"Two. One in my hand and one in my stomach."_

_"Dammit!" Dianna cried. L didn't let her rest though, he knew he could get her now._

_"Flow, snip, snap, draw... Which doesn't belong?"_

_She blinked for a moment, trying to solve it. The gears in her mind damn near breaking from how hard she was thinking... yet nothing came of it._

_Then it dawned on her. This riddle sounded so familiar!_

_"You cheated! You left part of the riddle out!" Dianna exclaimed. L sipped his tea calmly._

_"I have no idea what you're talking about. The answer was snap as the others can be used in context for writing." L said in a blunt tone. Dianna growled outwardly as L commented._

"You're more than welcome to try again."

_"No! I'm tired and my IQ is that of a peanut when I am." She growled._

_"There isn't much difference anyway," he sipped his tea as she fumed for a bit. __"Your flight to L.A will leave tomorrow at noon. Try not to be late." He was about to end the call when a comment caught him._

_"Who will pay for all my expenses?" Dianna asked. It was, after all, the first case she had done for L. He hadn't really explained anything, just picked her up from prison and sent her to New York. Nothing but the assignment was shared between them.__  
_

_"The room will be covered, along with any food you require." L said in an attempt to satisfy._

_"What about the rest of my belongings?"_

_"...What?"_

_She took a picture of her shopping receipt. L nearly fell off his chair._

_"You spent two thousand dollars... on fruit and... crossword puzzles?" He couldn't quite understand her sometimes..._

_"I'm a woman, I have needs." She said as though it was obvious. L closed his eyes before sighing loudly. The hint of a smile curling at his lips._

_"You are such a diva."_

_Just as he remembered._

* * *

**December 9th, 2003**

L stared at the note for a long time after his meeting with the Japanese Police Force.

There still had been no confirmation that she had died. Her tracker had gone offline the last he had checked, which was expected as she was no longer supposed to be alive. Almost all data on her had vanished. Knowing Diva shhe had intentionally rigged the tracker to go off when she died.

Still, where had this note come from?

... Successor?

Diva had never made any mention of successors. At least none that had left the orphanage. Only one was there and, as far as he knew, she had never left.

And what about her little clue? Was this all preordained? Had all of these events been planned out long before her death?

Why Diva? What were you doing?

Why video tape this and send the world on a hunt for you? Is it because you will never be found? No, Diva liked to win, but she hated boring games. She wouldn't do this if she didn't have a reason.

If so... then that video...

It clicked in his brain, everything seemed to finally make sense to him. The way she had acted in her final moments, why this video was going off.

No, this wasn't like Diva. She knew something. Something that scared her so bad that she did this.

_What are you hiding, Diva?_

Or maybe this was just how it was, and L was, again, overthinking the mildly insane woman's actions. Like he had all of his life. He'd never known Diva to make sense, but between the lines, she did like to leave a trail to the answer.

He often had likened her to B; no she was probably even crazier than B. She didn't like to hide her opinions and was a very open person. Yet she could lie through her teeth and even caught him a few times believing those lies.

Still, Diva was never one to confront him like this. Had she been hiding after her supposed death she would not have contacted him like this. She would've contacted him directly or hid to figure out what was going on and who was after her.

Could Kira be behind it? Perhaps Kira was using D as a cover now?

L frowned before staring out the window.

So many questions... where to start...

'Ordinal say'

The clue Diva had left.

O-R-D-I-N-A-L-S-A-Y

He mulled over different orders before slowly coming to an answer.

Iron Lady... A S

A simple clue, as she said. Where had the A and S come from? A was... L closed his eyes before glowering at the streets below. Of all times to get into his head, she had to choose now.

Just one little clue as to what was going on. Just one hint was all he needed to go in the right direction.

Just one, and he would win.

* * *

**Skylar Reeves**

"...And... done! Good job Sayu. Record time."

Sayu grinned.

"Thank you Sky! It's all thanks to you that I got this far." Sayu said as she put away the last of her homework. I stretched before falling back against the couch's backrest.

"All in a day's work I suppose." I muttered with a slight yawn. Footsteps could be heard from the stairs. I glanced over to see Light entering the room.

"Oh, still working?" He asked Sayu before turning to me. "I'm amazed you got her to sit this long."

Sayu fumed while I smiled a little.

"Nah, she works pretty had actually. Right Sayu?" I looked over to her and she nodded with a smile.

"Yeah Light! I'm way smarter than you think I am!" She exclaimed. Light sighed before looking over her work. He looked mildly surprised then.

"You actually got them all right. And you did this on your own?" Sayu nodded while Light looked at me. "You want to teach me next?"

I laughed a little before shrugging.

"Well, Mr. Yagami, by all means, step into my office and I can do my magic!" I said with a laugh. Light seemed to find humour in my words as well since I got a small laugh out of him. Standing up I also realized he was a little bit taller than me. Not by much since I stood at about 5'7. Tall for a Japanese girl, but not for a Canadian.

"Sayu, can you help set the table?" Sachiko called from the kitchen. Sayu groaned before heading off to help. I was about to offer whhen Light interupted my thoughts.

"Thank you for helping my sister," Light began. He gave a bit of an awkward smile. "I would help her if I could, but I find it really hard to balance my own homework and life as it is."

I smiled before shrugging it off a bit.

"It's quite alright, I'm good at doing two things at once." I said, referring to my own life and Sayu's work.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I ever caught what you are in school for." Light said. I smiled before giving a tiny blush.

"Well I came to get into To-Oh for Law, but I missed the deadline so I'm taking this time to get more money and save up for school in case I lose out on a scholarship." I explained. It was a bit embarassing to say the reason I wasn't in To-Oh was because I missed the dealine, but it was the truth.

"I see, I'm going into that next year." Light said with some enthhusiasm.

"Wow! It's like a perfect match! Sky, you should totally go outt with my brother!" Sayu shouted from the kitchen. Light looked surprised while I sort of did an awkward giggle. Sachiko smacked her daughter across the back and scolded her.

Light scratched the back off his neck in a nervous fashion.

"Sorry, my sister's been planning ways to make you stay with us longer." Light explained. I laughed a little bit more. This time it wasn't out of embarrassment.

"No worries, I'll admit she's a really good kid," I glanced at the kitchen for a moment before looking to Light. "Say... I heard your Dad is one the police force."

Light looked at me with surprise.

"Well yeah, what about it?" He asked. I paused and thought for a moment before smiling.

"Well it's just that... If he is working for the police despite Kira being around, he's a very brave man." I finished, watching him before glancing at the two girls quietly talking in the kitchen.

"Despite Kira?" Light asked with a slightly confused tone. "Kira kills criminals, he doesn't do anything against innocent people."

I looked at the ground for a moment before looking him in the eye.

"Then why did he kill Lind. L. Taylor?"

There was a beat of silence.

"But he was also a criminal." Light said calmly with a raised brow.

"Kira didn't know that, it was only after his death that L explained this. Kira will kill anyone who stands in their way, which means that your dad is also at risk. I have to commend him on his bravery." I admitted. Light stared at me before nodding.

"I have to agree," I watched him carefully again. "Kira seems to be pretty ruthless. He wants justice, but it doesn't seem like he cares who gets in his way, if it means killing criminals he won't stop." Light said.

It was curious that Light deduced a gender for Kira despite my not. Usually one picks up on a gender from the first person to mention this. However Light has probably spoken with others about Kira, and it is common for people to call a being 'him' when in power...

"What do you think of Kira?" I asked carefully. Light thought for a second before replying.

"I think Kira is trying to fix the world. I think what he wants is to make everything a better place. But I think he also knows what he's doing is wrong. He probably is willing to do it though, at the cost of his very soul, in the name of his justice."

I comprehended everything he said for a moment before looking to the ceiling thoughtfully.

"That is a whole new side to Kira I had never thought of," I began before frowning and looking to Light again. "However Kira is only justice if they win."

"What do you mean?" Light asked in an uncertain tone. I smiled, albeit a little childishly.

"There is no such thing as justice, just the laws we choose to obey. Justice is the loudest voice, not the honest one."

Light stared at me for a moment before giving a small smile.

"You've really thought this through, I'm impressed. But I guess that's from you watching L all these years, am I right?" Light asked. I nodded.

"Through each of his cases L has never once been wrong. But he's also never once been tricked. L is justice because he is the louder voice." I said.

Still, if Kira continued, they would be the louder voice. All it would take was one tiny pebble to make a ripple. Kira kills criminals so therefore the innocent believe they are safe. They rebel against the law, create groups of resistance, and eventually they would defeat L and the Law. Kira would then be justice, because there would be no going against them.

"Wow Sky, I think you'll fit in really well at To-Oh." Light said. I smiled at the compliment.

"You think so?" I began uncertainly. "Ah, I can barely juggle my work right now, never mind when I get into University."

"Ah right, you've been spending a lot of time here helping Sayu." Light said as he looked into the kitchen.

"Ah, no harm done. Besides, your mom is a really good cook!" I exclaimed before looking to the kitchen. The smells wafting from it really got to me.

"Still I feel there's a need for me to repay you. After all, I was the one who was supposed to be teaching Sayu." Light insisted. I stared at him hesitantly for a moment. What was he getting at? Why did it feel so... forced?

I smiled at him though, regardless.

"Well, I've wanted to visit a few of Japan's mmain attractions. Show me some and I'll call it even." I said.

"It's a date!" Sayu shouted from the kitchen. This time both Light and I laughed.

Then again... maybe she was right...

* * *

L stared at the next envelope that had been delivered to the front desk and then his suite by Watari. However there was no record of anyone bringing it to the front desk. The tape had already been edited only ten minutes after delivery. It could only be her. No one else thought this far ahead. Took this many careful steps.

L carefully opened the envelope. Despite being told by Watari that it would not explode in his face he still felt the precaution of touching it carefully was in order. Gently he pried it open and peered inside.

A slip of paper with a pattern on it lay inside.

A complex pattern... no... was it a pattern? It didn't have a start or end, and for a moment L wondered what it was.

No, it was a pattern, with a little _D_ in the corner out of the picture. He stared at it for a bit.

An hour later L almost growled in frustration.

He couldn't solve the pattern.

Damn you D!

* * *

**Yo!**

**Wow! Great responses! I had to sit back for a moment and really think about this story... plus I've been trying to get my shit together on my other stories.**

**I hope you guys like it so far! Also if you have any questions or concerns pleeeaaassse review or pm it to me! **

**I would just like for you to know that you will find a lot of what Diva says will make absolutely no sense. At all. I mean I'm going to try and make it spin so she doesn't sound totally insane but... well... hehe...**

**I'm glad you guys like Skylar! She's one hell of a bucket full of surprises that one...**

**Anyway!**

**Review please! Me-a-likey!**

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


	5. Five

**.**

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

_"For those who always fail..."_

* * *

Five

_"Cold"_

* * *

**January 14th, 1983**

_L stared up at the gate. _

_He felt a chill run up his spine; both from the cold and the thought of entering. _

_Scared. _

_He felt very scared. _

_He looked up to the old man. _

_Quilish looked down at him and gave a reassuring smile._

_"It will get better, L." Quilish said in promise. L gulped before clutching the old man's hand tighter. Quilish smiled before looking up. A sad look crossed his weathered features. _

_He felt the sorrow for this boy, who's previous orphanage had been shut down. He had known the caretaker and agreed to take just one. This was the boy who was chosen._

_"Okay." Was all L said before they both took a step forward. Just as they walked under the sign over the gate, a bell rang loud and clear. It would symbolize the frist step L took into his new home. _

_L looked to the bell tower not far from them as they walked. He watched it ring and felt the sound resonate within him. _

_"I'll show you your roomate. I think the two of you should get along quite well." _

_L didn't hear what Quilish said as his eyes settled on a small lump at the base of the bell tower. He watched with fascination as the small lump shifted, and finally a pair of eyes was visible beneath a hood. _

_He couldn't tell gender, but he could see the young face. The overly large jacket covering them slipped through the snow as they turned to look at them. Quilish stopped walking as the two children stared at each other. _

_L felt something creep up his spine at the frozen stare. There was something in those eeyes that made him nervous to just be standing there. His grip on Quilish's hand tightened and he almsot hid behind him. _

_"A, what are you doing over there?"_

_There was no reply as A stared at L. A cold feeling shot further up L's spine to the point that he looked to Quilish for help. The old man looked to the boy before smiling and offering his other hand out to A. _

_"Come on, let's go get some strawberries. How does that sound?" Quilish asked. _

_At the mention of fruit, A stumbled through the snow until they grabbed on to Quilish's other hand. A looked at L with a sharp look before practically pulling Quilish towards the main building. The old man chuckled and dragged L along too. The young boy, however, didn't share the mirth that old man did. _

_Cold. _

_He just felt cold._

* * *

**Skylar**

This was really stupid.

Here I was getting all prettied up, and for what? The only person who may look at me is Light, and he's a highschool student. I'm a going on twenty year old University student that has had set back after set back for the past five years.

Still...

I had to admit to myself... Light was... handsome... very handsome. I looked in the mirror and stared at the slightly make up ccovered face. Would it be childish of me to want to look pretty? Perhaps a little bit, but it was also natural for me to be attracted to the opposite sex or my sexual preference.

I looked at the mirror again. There wasn't much more than lip gloss, eyeliner and a little mascara in my bag. Maybe if this date went well I could go and get some more.

A small blush appeared across my cheeks when I thought of this. This wasn't really a date. Well it was but...

I hung my head. This was ridiculous.

Looking up again I fixed my hair into a bun and let my fringe down and a few strands to frame my face. Add in a tight black tank top under a loose white tank top, cute jean shorts, hiker's boots and black tights... I thought I looked pretty cute.

My phone rang so I left the bathroom to answer. Light's name was on the screen; it was a text message.

_Meet at this cafe?_

He sent me directions. I sent my confirmation before closing my phone and looking around the room. For some reason I felt very tense going into this. Was it because I hadn't gone on a date in a long time?

C'mon Sky, you're over thinking things. This is just a plain thank you pity date sort of thing!

I pulled on a long coat, grabbed my purse, and walked out the door.

* * *

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" Light asked when he sat down. I smiled but shook my head.

"No, I just ordered a tea before you walked in." I admitted while he settled. The waitress came back and once she saw Light her once sour face turned bright and pretty. Light ordered his drink before the woman walked away. A small chuckle came past my lips.

"What is it?" Light asked with a curious expression; I smiled.

"That woman who took your order. She was awfully sour until you came in," I said before sipping my tea quietly. "Then again I'm sure you're used to it."

"What do you mean?" Light asked carefully as the lady came back. I gave her a glance; she gave me the sour look again before turning to Light with a beaming face. Once she left I raised a brow. Light gave a short laugh.

"Alright, I admit, girls treat me pretty well," he paused for a moment. "Not to say I expect it but... girls my age tend to be shallow and only care about looks."

He was testing the waters... interesting. Was he trying to see if he could gently trust me with information? No, more like seeing if I'm faking interest or not.

"It's like that at any age. It's not like it ever leaves. There are just some people who see more than looks in people." I said before leaning back in my chair. Light gave a short laugh.

"People like you? What, is this one of those, 'I'm different than them' speeches?" He challenged. I smiled lightly.

"On the contrary, I find you, Light Yagami, very attractive," I paused as Light let that sink in. His face ever so slightly surprised by my statement. "However it is not your looks that I find so interesting. It's actually a lot simpler."

I picked up my tea cup and took a small sip, leaning back in my chair.

"So you're interested in my intelligence? Personality? Is that why you accepted this date?" He asked.

Very bold Light, calling this a date. Though it was, I needed to be careful. Stay neutral on that fact unless I would like to be seen as a blushing fool.

"When your sister told me you have the highest marks in the country I had to admit, I was very curious. However testing you would be pointless as you are definitely smarter than I am. As for your personality, well, I don't know you very well and figured this would be the best way to learn more about you." I said before placing my cup down. Light leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"So you were planning on coming to a date with me regardless?" Light asked. I gave a small laugh.

"You really over think things Light," I said with a smile. "Even if that would be true, it would mean you would still have to ask me."

Light gave a small smirk, I couldn't help but notice the confidence in it.

"So long as I had asked, you would answer." He said in an odd tone. I decided to ignore it and instead shrugged.

"Well, now that we've analyzed this day to the T, why don't we talk about something else?" I asked. Light laughed a little before uncrossing his arms and picking up his cup.

"Right, sorry I was just really curious. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" He asked before taking a sip of his tea. I looked into my cup as I spoke then.

"Well, as you know I came from Canada... I was planning to go to University here since it's such a high standing school. However I missed the deadline and am going in this coming year instead."

"What about home? Any family?" Light asked. I smiled before looking at him wihtout moving my face.

"Yeah, I've got a little brother and older sister. My Dad worked really hard to take care of us because my Mom passed away shortly after my brother was born... But I haven't spoken to them in a while. Dad passed away when I was twelve, but my Auntie and Uncle talk to me all the time. I mean over the phone, but they're really supportive. They weren't exactly happy about me coming here though. Something about not pulling my own weight. I kind of understand, but it was something I really wanted to do. "

I frowned before sitting up.

"But that's not fair. You should follow your dream. If you want to be a part of something then you should do it. You can't let people hold you back from your goals." Light said. I looked up to him in surprise.

"You think so?"

"Of course. No matter what you have to do, sometimes it'll feel like the bad choice, but if it gets you where you want to be, was it really wrong?" Light said animatedly. Albeit the most emotion that sounded genuine since we began talking. I smiled then.

"You know what Light? I think you're right." I said. Just then a man sat down behind Light. I wouldn't have cared at all, but like me he didn't fit.

He didn't look Japanese.

I didn't say anything though since he wasn't doing anything wrong. He ordered a drink and a muffin from what I could overhear while talking with Light, but did nothing suspicious.

Light checked his watch.

"Well it's almost noon, why don't we go to some of the attractions? Do you have anywhere in mind?" Light asked. I smiled before pulling out a list.

"Any one of these. Whichever is closest! I even brought my camera to take photos!" I said in an excited tone. Light gave me a looked and I blushed before calming down. "Sorry, I tend to get overly excited."

Light smile before laughing a little.

"No it's not a problem, why don't we start here? It's the furthest, and then we can make our way back..."

We planned out our day before heading to a museum for a guided tour.

At the museum we had to sign in. Light signed his name, but then handed the pen over to me. I wrote down my name and Light glanced at it.

"What's wrong?" I asked when Light stared at my name.

"Nothing, just not used to seeing English font. You wrote your name in Katakana that sounded similar to your English name when you came door to door asking to tutor. At least that was what my Mom said."

"Yeah, I figured if people could at least sort of read it then it shouldn't be too difficult to not butcher my name. A few of my Japanese friends back home called my Sora too." I looked to my name and retraced the letters.

"S-K-Y-L-A-R R-E-E-V-E. Skylar Reeve." I said.

"I can see why you want to just be called Sky, ask pronunciations can be difficult to translate." Light said before we both walked on for our tour.

I had fun, to say the least. Light make a few jokes that actually made me laugh. I even got a chuckle or two out of him. We got on the last bus that would take us to Space Land for the last stop of our day. Light suggested sitting in the back to avoid the noise and crowd. Though there were only a handful of people on the bus I agreed. It was when I noticed the man who got on the bus and sat behind us that I felt a little tense.

It was the same man as before.

Was he following us?

Why would he be following us though...?

I decided not to say anything and we almost made it to our last adventure destination.

Almost...

A man boarded the bus and with quickness I couldn't keep up with raised a gun to the bus driver's head.

A bus jacking? Really?!

I tensed in my seat as he shouted at the driver.

"Drive dammit! Hurry up and don't you dare stop for anything!" The man said. The driver, true to his commands, almost hit a few people when he drove right through a busy intersection. The man grabbed the phone and called a number.

"Yeah this is a bus jacking! I expect 100,000 yen per passenger or I shoot them! You've got one hour. Have a female worker bring money for thirteen passengers! Now!" He slammed the phone down before looking around at all of us. He threatened for us to stay seated, but I had no plans of standing up anyway.

Light tapped my shoulder before I looked over to him. He handed me a paper.

_Sky, when he's not looking I'm going to grab the gun out of his hands._

Moron, that wouldn't work. For starters he might shoot a few people before he gets it taken away. And if you fail? You're dead, and possibly me.

As I went to tell him not to, another voice popped up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he spoke quietly. "I'll take care of it if things get too serious."

It was the man that had been following us. Instead of turning to face him, Light began to write on the paper.

"Don't worry, keep your voice down and he won't hear us." The man said. Light stuffed the paper in his pocket as we both kept looking forward.

"Do you have any proof you're not the guys accomplice?" Light asked.

My heart nearly skipped.

You damn moron; you do not ask someone that. If he was the accomplice and we found out. He could easily make a commotion and frame us. The first guy would know that we know and shoot us on the spot. Or worse, use us in some twisted plan to inspire more fear in the other passengers.

What the Hell are you thinking Light?!

"Accomplice?" The man asked. I started to sweat a little, but then I remembered. This guy has been following us all day. Without a doubt; how else had I seen him in the same locations? Obviously something was going on, but why would he be following us? Which one of us? Or both? Was Light's father suspicious of me dating his son? No... something was wrong here... One big puzzle piece I really needed...

"He's not an accomplice," I said calmly. "If he was he would've made a noise the moment you asked."

Really, I just wanted Light to shut up. So much for having a brain.

"Still, do you have any proof you're not?" Light asked.

How stupid could you get? If the guy had been just a local there would be no way he could prove he wasn't a criminal as well. What are you doing you fool?!

The guy handed over what looked like a badge.

"Here's my proof."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that the badge read FBI. Wow, why was an FBI agent following us? This was serious, something really bad was happening.

Wait, if an FBI agent was following us, that means that they were sent by someone other than the NPA. Who would send US agents to Japan?

L?

Actually that sounded very likely. If L was suspicious of a Japanese person being Kira, then it would make sense to ask that a different country to come and investigate. Which means that one of us is suspected to be Kira.

My stomach flopped a little; I began to sweat.

This was not good.

However what was more odd was Light's attitude. He is most definitely intelligent. Possibly more so than myself. So why wasn't he using his head in this?

... Was it possible he was planning to get the guy to show his ID? If so, then why?

Kira needs a face and a name to kill, if that is the case then... could Light be...

No way, it can't be. You hear about killers, it's not like you ever meet one.

Light moved his hand from his pocket; his little note dropped out of it. Instead of being wise and letting the note drop and staying still, he made to grab it. Of course the man saw it and grabbed it.

I nearly had a heart attack when he opened the note. Dead, we were all dead! Yet the man teased Light about date plans before tossing the page at him. Light caught it before turning to push it back in his pocket.

"Ah! What the hell! Where'd you come from?!" The high jacker shouted.

"Everyone get down!" The guy behind us shouted before Light grabbed me and used himself as a shield. I winced at the forced but was grateful when I heard bullets being shot off.

"Get away from me!" The high jacker shouted before demanding the bus be stopped. He practically fell out the doors and-

**_CRASH_**

A car... a car just... killed him.

Everyone rushed off the bus or to see, but Light and I just sat there. My arms were so tense they were shaking. Light gently put a arm on my shoulder and made me look at him. Then he frowned slightly.

"It's okay, we're okay now." He said gently. I nodded before grabbing his hand and holding on to it.

"Y-Yeah, we're okay." I whispered. Light looked surprised, but held my hand back.

We're okay?

No, we weren't okay.

* * *

We had to wait and answer questions by the police; all the while Light let me hold his hand. I was grateful, some support was much needed.

About two hours later we were allowed to leave; Light offered to take me home. We walked since it wasn't that far. For the first half hour I was really nervous and jumpy, but Light let me hold on to his hand to calm down.

After I settled, I let go of his hand and looked up to him.

"Thank you, Light. I got really nervous I guess." I said honestly. Light shook his head and looked down at me.

"No, you saw someone die today, that's enough to rattle anyone." Light said. I frowned before looking at the pavement.

"It's not death itself that scares me. We all die eventually. It's the action leading up to it that bothers me."

It was quiet for a moment before I continued.

"My mother was murdered when I was just two. My little brother was in his crib when it happened. However... I was in the room when she was murdered. The killer hung himself shortly after. I found out later he was part of a cult but... at the time, I didn't understand why Mom wasn't moving. I curled up next to her until Dad came home late from work..."

It was quiet for a bit while we walked.

"Once they explained that Mom was never coming back, well. I decided that was when I wanted to become a cop, the best there was. It was then that I heard of L briefly, but didn't really hear of any of his case until my Father was killed."

"They say children should never meet their heroes, but I don't care. I want to meet L, and I want to work on this investigation with him." I stopped walking and turned to Light.

"I lied a little bit earlier. I didn't come by your family by chance," I admitted. Light looked surprised then. "When I heard your dad was the superintendent of the NPA I figured he might be able to get me closer to L."

"Why say all of this then? Why are you telling me the truth?" Light asked. I closed my eyes.

Because Light, if you are Kira, I'm dead anyway. I've outlived my purpose. Sayu is finished school soon, and I already know too much, don't I?

A small smile spread across my lips.

Will you try to kill me, Light?

That is, if you are Kira.

"Because I want to be honest with you Light. I like you, you're a good guy. And I want you to know that I wasn't trying to backstab or anything," I turned and looked at my apartment block and walked up the steps alone. "As you said before, no matter the risk, sometimes the wrong choice isn't wrong in the end."

When I reached the door I looked back to Light.

"I had fun, despite the obvious depression," I paused before continuing. "I hope we could do this again sometime."

Light paused before giving a small confused smile.

"Yeah, me too."

I knew it was a lie.

Walking up to my room, I practically stared at the clock on my phone. When would it happen? Would it happen at all?

I washed my face in my sink and then looked at a photo hanging from the corner of the mirror.

A painful look alike stared back at me. She was part of the reason I had first heard about Kira.

Dianne Calister. She was one of the first kills by Kira. She also had a painful resemblance to me.

Both of us had odd deep and dark brown hair, blue eyes and the same face. However Dianne had a long scar going across her face where I did not. I also had a tattoo on the back of my neck of a mockingbird; that would also set us apart.

Dianne had been a fascination of mine for a long time due to her resemblance to me. Seeing my face doing such crimes; caught on tape. I got laughed at a lot for it, but now there was only one of us.

Only Kira could catch such a person, and I was honestly curious to find them.

I was about to grab my toothbrush when I suddenly felt compelled to leave the bathroom.

Something important had to be done.

* * *

**Light**

"Skylar Reeve

Suicide.

Returns to Canada and dies in a place that no one will find her for a long time."

"That's pretty ruthless Light." Ryuk commented.

"It was necessary. She knew about the bus jacking incident and she also knew I came in contact with Ray Penber. Not to mention her loyalty to L. If they somehow came in contact and Sky said anything to L, I would be stuck and unable to prove my innocence."

Ryuk laughed.

"Still, I thought you liked the girl. Don't tell me you were jealous that she adores L so much." Ryuk taunted.

Light narrowed his eyes at the girl's name and felt a shudder in him. He did like her; she was a smart girl. Too smart though, and not loyal enough to him for Light to control. She had to go.

"It was a necessary sacrifice to get to my goal." He said. As he told Sky before. She wasn't going to get in his way either.

No one would.

* * *

**?**

She chuckled to herself as she hacked into the network. It wasn't hard for a tech like her. She pulled out files from the police reports and looked through the information. It was curious at how quickly L had narrowed down a list of suspects.

Suddenly another thing caught her attention.

Someone else was taking files from Soichiro Yagami's computer.

They were on the home network.

* * *

**Yo!**

**... *crickets*...**

**Uh ok, no reviews... ok...**

**Well anyway, I got this chapter up, and it was pretty fun to write. As you all know, Light is acting through this so he probably does seem a little OOC... Anyway I figured Light would want to kill Sky as soon as he could, it would make it way easier for him in the investigation! **

**Bwahahaha I'm evil eh? **

**Or am I? **

**Anyway!**

**Review please! I really want too hear your feedback!**

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


	6. Six

**.**

**FAILURE by DESIGN**

by _Iland Girl_

_"For those who always fail..."_

* * *

Six

_"Reach"_

* * *

**January 14th, 1983**

_L sniffled as he tried to sleep. _

_He didn't want to be here; in fact hed rather be back in the old orphanage. At least the walls and sounds were familiar. This place wasn't. _

___Click... click... click..._

_Noises he wasn't familiar with would set him off at odd hours._

___Click... click... click..._

_He squirmed a little in bed before deciding to get up. _

_Click... click... click..._

_Quiet so as to not wake his roomate, L snuck out to the hallway. _

_Click... click... click..._

_L reached the play room in time to see A, knelt in front of a just completed puzzle. A looked up at him; a candle beside her illuminating her face. Definitely her from that innocent expression. It molded into a nasty cold glare though when she realized it was L. _

_He gave a nervous gulp, but before he could get away she called to him. _

_"Come here." _

_She didn't ask. No, she demanded. _

_L did as she said after a moment of hesitance. He knelt down across from her and looked at the puzzle. She flipped it so suddenly that he fell back in shock. Pieces scattered everywhere as she held the base upside down by her head. Then she placed it back down and looked at him. _

_"300. 299. 298. 297..." _

_L realized quickly that she was timing him. He looked at the puzzle and immediately noticed two pieces that went together, then two more, and two more..._

_He continued this until there were no pieces left to connect. As he placed his final piece, A gave a blank look. L bit his lip; was he too slow? He didn't hear her last number called. _

_"200 seconds."  
_

_L gave a hopeful smile; he had made it. To his surprise, A reached to lift his hair from his eyes and watched him. L stared at her with slightly widened eyes. Her eyes were a bright blue, but they weren't cold this time. _

_A dropped her hand before reaching into a bag he hadn't seen before. She pulled out a bag of fruit. Where had she gotten that? However he was distracted when she pulled out a nice juicy red strawberry with chocolate dipping. He took the strawberry carefully, nervous it would spoil should h touch too much of it. _

_"Sugar makes the tears taste better." _

_L looked up at A as he stuck that strawberry in his mouth. He didn't chew on it, instead he sat there and at her. She returned the look as well. _

_After a moment, L smiled. A smiled as well. _

_An understanding had been made. _

_This was possibly L's first friend. _

_He would cherrish this strawberry._

* * *

**December 23rd, 2003**

L stared at the screen with odd vigor. Even for him, staring at the same blank screen for hours was a bit much.

Diva's broadcast was getting to him though. Why was it that things had turned out this way? What value was this broadcast? How would she use it to her advantage? Was it possible that it was a mistake? If the broadcast was not, then who was the one pulling the strings?

The first clue; Iron Lady.

Another name for the Eiffel Tower. Was Diva saying something would happen there? Or perhaps Iron Lady was a term she planned for herself, as in she would not bend?

The second clue; Third time's the charm.

It had a larger array of meanings. Anything from the third floor, third leg, or even a date with 3 in it was possible. Or maybe it had to do with how many tries before she broke.

There were simply too many possibilities.

L placed it into a different context. What if Diva was broadcasting this just for him? If that was true, then that would mean that the hints were something only he could think of. He closed his eyes and thought it over some more.

Iron Lady... A. S...

Third time's the charm...

Third letter in Lady was D...

A might refer to A at Wammy's... But A was...

L pinched the bridge of his nose.

No wait...

What if these were the alias' of people associated with Diva? L had known she did not work alone. She always had someone helping her. Like Watari helped him. Someone that kept everything swept under the rug. L didn't know anything about these people though.

A had been his successor of sorts when he first began. A had... A was gone. There was no coming back.

So what did A refer to? Was her death somehow a clarification? Was Diva A in this riddle? Was the D another person? Why broadcast this worldwide? Even if it was just for him; she knew how to contact him. Why didn't she just tell him?

Because that would be no fun.

The Diva he knew lived up to her name. Even in death, he couldn't picture anything but the grinning vixen that loved to make some noise.

Diva was loud, proud, and albeit a little crazy. She enjoyed confusing him; despite how rare it was.

He tried to imagine D in this case. What would D normally do? Well, typically she liked to dig underneath the suspect's skin. Make them squirm to the point that they did something that would prove they were the culprit. By then she would have them in a dead end corner where, no matter what, D had the ultimate control.

He remembered the bizarre case in Budapest. D had been sent on a solo mission there, but L watched over her to be sure she didn't do anything rash. In truth he had simply been curious as to how she would handle the case without his guidance.

L thought about how she had cornered the Mafioso, both mentally and physically, to the point that he tried to kill her. Strangle her with his bare hands. Had L not stepped in and contacted authorities, one of them may have died. Neither was desirable, even if D looked like she was winning.

That was how D did things. Upfront and personal.

There was a strong chance her partners had learned a thing or two from her as well. It was possible that they already had a target in mind too...

Regardless, D would definitely not handle this delicately. She would most likely kidnap whoever she thought to be Kira. If the killings ceased then she would kill them without a thought once she found out their methods.

L didn't care if the police didn't trust him, but having them after him was another story.

No, maybe Diva had a good foot hold on this case. It was her style; upfront tactics that pushed her opponent into a corrner and made them do a reckless move to reveal themselves. She liked to be so in to her case that she appeared to not be an investigator, but simply an innocent.

Perhaps there was a few pointers he could take from her. Starting with the NPA; and if he did happen to find one or more of Diva's successors along the way... well, that would just be the icing on the cake.

He'd been craving some lately...

* * *

**December 31, 2003**

L stared at the screen as members of the task force resigned left and right. He wasn't surprised that they had left. He had actually been hoping for it for a long time. Kira was getting inside information. Whetehr that meant he was part of the task force or closely in contact with them was much easier to monitor with only six people working the case.

If L was correct, Kira had a sense of justice similiar to whoever he learned it from. If he had to narrow it down... one of these six men possibly know Kira. Whether they know his identity or not was irrelevant.

There were only a handful of people who could be Kira, but how could he discern who this person was? How did Kira kill? How did they protect their identities? Was their any evidence behind the killings that Kira left behind after a ritual? Was the evidence destroyed?

Countless questions kept coming to him.

Watari entered the room and handed L an envelope.

"This came from the desk. It was hand delivered by a small girl who was instructed to give this to this suite." Watari said. L took the envelope and tore it quickly.

'_If only you knew the rules. - D'_

L bit his thumb in thought before a small yet excited smile spread across his lips.

This was definitely an imposter. The real D never played by rules. In fact she often sought to break them. Was this a reference to the FBI agents? It had been made in a public broadcast just days ago. Was it possible that this D was one or both of Diva's successors?

Questions spun in his head, but he decided not to think too mmuch on one subject when he was this low on sugar.

"Watari, please bring in some chocolate covered strawberries."

It'd been a while since he had those...

* * *

**December 31st, 2003**

She chuckled as she gazed at the computer screen.

Light Yagami's computer, which was once filled with information on the Kira investigation was now suddenly empty. Not only that but the records behind TV usage were methodical. Very rarely did it stray out of pattern.

Could this possibly be her criminal?

There was no way to guarantee but... What would D do? Scare the life out of this kid, that was for sure... but how? There was nothing she could do without drawing obvious attention to herself.

Maybe she needed to get off her lazy ass and start acting less like L, and more like herself. Yes, D always wanted to beat L, and she would. The only way to do that was for her to do the same.

But what could she do...?

Then it came to her.

She gave a lower chuckle. This plan needed to be fixed; now.

Flipping out her phone, she punched in a number quickly.

"It's me," she began with a chilling tone. "We're going to plan F."

Kira wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

**January 1st, 2004**

Light wiped his brow.

The scenario with Naomi Misora has been the closest shave he had experienced yet. As he walked in his front door he felt a weight peel off of his shoulders. The worry was over, but now a new problem occurred to him.

If Light had somehow been caught the most obvious scenario would be that he be incarcerated. No access the outside world for days on end until he could prove he was innocent. However he couldn't prove that if he didn't have people still dying. He'd have to get started on writing names in advance, just in case something happened.

Tedious, but it could save his life should L ever zero in on him. As Light announced his arrival his mother called for him.

"Hello Light, there was a message from your father that he needs some more clothes would you mind taking them to him?" His mother asked.

"No, that's not a problem. I can go anytime," Light said. "Just let me get changed and I'll go."

"Alright, oh and there was a letter left for you. I put it under your door."

A letter? What would it say? From who?

Light climbed the stairs before entering his room. When he opened it he picked up the note and read it.

_Some things are better seen in the dark._

That was all.

Ryuk was laughing.

"Oooooh, some important letter!" The Shinigami joked. Light looked at the letter for a little while longer before deciding it was probably sent to the wrong address. Yet his Mother had given it directly to him... This might be one of those pranks. Senior year brought out the riot in all of the high school students. Maybe on sent this to bother the others.

What if it was L?

No, this wasn't L's style. L liked to have a solid defence before striking. The broadcast Light had fallen for was the first hint towards that. Furthermore, what was there to gain by sending this bizarre note?

Nothing, this was just some bogus prank.

Light changed before heading back downstairs. His Mother handed him a bag of clothes.

"By the way Light, could you go by Sky's apartment? I haven't heard from her in almost two weeks and I'm starting to worry about her." His mother asked. Light fake a smile and nodded.

"I'm sure she's alright. She told me she wanted to do well in the entrance exams, which are only a few weeks away. She's probably just been busy studying. Or maybe she went home to spend the holidays with her family." Light offered.

"Still I do worry. She never said where she was going." Light's mother said sadly. Light almost frowned.

Skylar Reeve should be dead by now back in Canada, where the NPA would never connect her to this case or to Kira. With luck, no one back at her home noticed her disappearance either.

"I'll stop by and see if she is there. But otherwise I think it's best just to let her be." Light admitted. He slipped on his shoes and opened the door to leave.

At the exact same time, a woman tried to knock on his door. She looked up at him before opening her fist to wave at him. A broad smile on her lips.

"Hey, long time no see?" She asked.

Light Yagami, for the first time in his life, prayed that he was going crazy and seeing things.

God help him.

Standing at his doorstep, looking rather nice and clean instead of dead and rotting, was none other than the woman he thought he'd killed. His throat closed up and for a moment he thought he was going to scream in frustration.

"H-Hey Sky..."

* * *

**Yo!**

**Ya! I got reviews! Thanks so much guys!**

**I figured this chapter would really send some people for a loop! What with L's revelations and Sky's reappearance! I honestly enjoy writing her a lot, and just so everyone knows, the top where the short narrations are? All of them will pertain to L, D, or both of them. Always one or both will be mentioned!**

**I am finding I enjoy writing L more each time I write him. He's not an easy character to understand, but at the same time isn't all that difficult if you think rationally. **

**As for D, you will find that her and her successors are quite crazy, and not only that, but they have a very backasswards approach to a lot of things. I like to think that L revealing his face was inspired by Diva's antics. Along with a few other bold moves he may make. **

**I will remind everyone that although the investigation goes in the same direction, there are many more layers to this story than in the canon plot. All thanks to our lovely Diva! I really do think she was named properly; she is such a drama queen! She loves to be loud and wild. I actually like her a lot. She is, in truth, the very first OC I ever made. When I was 9 I started making up characters in my head. Diva was one of them. And about 5 years ago when I first saw DN, I had a particular scene in mind that I always thought Diva would absolutely love to be a part of. No, it is not the-scene-that-must-not-be-named. Actually it is one coming soon. **

**Anyway, that was**** when I modified Diva to fit into DN and made her extra crazy! Go me!**

**So now that you either skipped my big spiel or read it, please move along and review! ****I really want too hear your feedback!**

**Cheers!**

**Iland Girl**


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